My challenge was to create small landscapes every weekday for a month starting October 2021.
A drive through the Danseys Pass in the Otago inspired works in the first part of the challenge, followed by the skies around Invercargill. A family journey to the southern arm of Lake Manapouri in Fiordland gave rise to the final three works.
I’ve arranged it so you can easily start at the beginning.
Using digital reference photography requires adjustment to give paintings more dimensionality. An infinite light and colour range is compressed to a manageable.
Learning impasto painting for these daily paintings, rather than usual method of using increasingly thicker paint over previous thin layers, build confidence.
Daily painting liberated me to take more risks because I didn’t have a great investment in material or time. The small sized paintings alleviated problems.
The best thing about a painting challenge is that I’ve learnt to make art differently. Sometimes daunted, always rewarded, I ditched routine.
Painting Southland skies was as challenging as they are amazing. Fantastic formations often compel me to steer off to the side of the road to enjoy the show.
Stead Street Wharf inspired my Day 12 painting. As one of my favourite spots to cloud gaze, I chose one of many photographs of the cloud show.